Eric Wynalda, American Soccer Legend, Calls MLS A Joke

02/08/2012 02:01 pm ET

Brian Straus
Sporting News

Make no mistake, Major League Soccer has great affection for Eric Wynalda.

Preserved in a prominent location inside the league's Manhattan headquarters is the jersey and ball he used when scoring the first goal in MLS history. The shirt Wynalda's San Jose Clash wore that day in April 1996 is a garish mess of puke green, teal, red and several other colors. It's not on display because it's pretty. It's a tribute to a moment and the man who made it--a man who MLS executive VP Dan Courtemanche called "a legend in our league."